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WoW Finished (Sort of)
Feb. 4th, 2006 07:53 amMy Night Elf Hunter with the Armenian name finally reached level 60, the highest level in the game. There are other goals to reach -- he still needs money, he can earn a better reputation or a higher military rank -- and there are places he hasn't seen and dungeons he hasn't explored. Still, this would be a good point to stop playing regularly, which doesn't mean I will stop of course...
Why do I keep playing? I'm all honesty, I'm not much good at it: I get lost all the time; I have an often-deadly habit of targetting the wrong people; and I have no taste for the grinding necessary for quick advancement. What appeals to me is both the social aspect of the game (it's great meeting people like![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
mooninj4, who is sweet and hysterically funny during play) and the immersive, Through-the-Looking-Glass experience of it. It's closer to the Dream Park ideal of roleplaying than anything else I've encountered.
This makes the limitations of World of Warcraft all the more frustrating, the fact that it's a primitive D&D world, circa 1978, with all the absurdities and limitations you'd expect from that sort of setting. Every criticism of D&D, in old days, can be thrown at WoW, often with more justice, from the absurd ecology and the trivial resurrections to the rigid advancement rules and interchangeable characters. I keep thinking of ways one could use the same medium to better effect. (As I mentioned to Stephen T. last night, I would love to see someone design an online RPG based on RuneQuest. Jorune or Empire of the Petal Throne would make wonderful MMORPGs, too.)
Unfortunately, all I can do is fantasize. Online RPGs don't offer the same creative possibilities, for me, as their tabletop alternatives. I've written my own RPG rules; I've created my own campaign worlds; I've given life to some vivid and memorable RPG characters. There's no outlet for that creative impulse in online gaming, at least not for ordinary mortals such as myself. I've an enthralled observer. but don't have a place as a participant.
Why do I keep playing? I'm all honesty, I'm not much good at it: I get lost all the time; I have an often-deadly habit of targetting the wrong people; and I have no taste for the grinding necessary for quick advancement. What appeals to me is both the social aspect of the game (it's great meeting people like
mooninj4, who is sweet and hysterically funny during play) and the immersive, Through-the-Looking-Glass experience of it. It's closer to the Dream Park ideal of roleplaying than anything else I've encountered.This makes the limitations of World of Warcraft all the more frustrating, the fact that it's a primitive D&D world, circa 1978, with all the absurdities and limitations you'd expect from that sort of setting. Every criticism of D&D, in old days, can be thrown at WoW, often with more justice, from the absurd ecology and the trivial resurrections to the rigid advancement rules and interchangeable characters. I keep thinking of ways one could use the same medium to better effect. (As I mentioned to Stephen T. last night, I would love to see someone design an online RPG based on RuneQuest. Jorune or Empire of the Petal Throne would make wonderful MMORPGs, too.)
Unfortunately, all I can do is fantasize. Online RPGs don't offer the same creative possibilities, for me, as their tabletop alternatives. I've written my own RPG rules; I've created my own campaign worlds; I've given life to some vivid and memorable RPG characters. There's no outlet for that creative impulse in online gaming, at least not for ordinary mortals such as myself. I've an enthralled observer. but don't have a place as a participant.
